# Handa-kun (2016)

> A calligraphy prodigy who just wants a quiet high school life is horrified to find his classmates adore him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/59030

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy
- Network: BS-TBS, TBS, MBS, CBC
- Cast: Yuya Hirose, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Tetsuya Kakihara, Daiki Yamashita
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5878004/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, witty, comforting, irreverent

## What critics say

Audiences find the escalating misunderstandings and the deadpan protagonist charming, though the single season is judged lightweight.

## Synopsis

Handa-kun (2016) is a Japanese anime school comedy series adapted from a manga and produced by diomedéa, with Nippon Television Network Corporation among its production companies. Its twelve episodes of twenty-four minutes each follow Seishuu Handa (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki), a high school calligraphy genius who is mistakenly convinced that his classmates' admiration is outright bullying. Junichi Aizawa (voiced by Yuya Hirose), Takao Kawafuji (voiced by Kazuyuki Okitsu), Reo Nikaidou (voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara) and Yukio Kondou (voiced by Daiki Yamashita) turn each day into a new challenge to his position as school idol, and each challenger ends up won over as a fan while Handa stays horrified and clueless. The engine is simple: every episode builds a fresh misunderstanding out of everyday school life, with the gag escalating as more classmates pile in. Shaped as a single short season of standalone episodes, the show moves at a brisk pace and has a warm, breezy register. Set in a present-day Japanese high school, it has the sincere, gentle absurdity of a shonen slice of life series. Fans of Barakamon, Nichijou and Gintama will find resonance in its blend of rural-free school warmth and sharp, character-driven comedy.

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